44.
Title: [American Vampire]
Author: Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Stephen King
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 12 May 2016
Rating: ***1/2

American Vampire is a fantasy of the Old West and silent film Hollywood, each dominated by tyrannical Old World vampires who own banks and studios, and treat humans ("humes." Yes, actually) as the cattle they are so often read to be within the genre.  The Old West sees the birth of Skinner Sweet, whose backstory is penned by Stephen King, and a new, distinctly American race of vampires. Skinner Sweet is no hero - his actions are fairly repugnant, and stereotypically outlaw: theft, rape, and countless murders, including the shooting of a toddler. When he gets into a physical altercation with a vampire whom his gang has robbed a drop of blood gives him new life, and the reader again meets him in 1920s California, acting the same sweets-guzzling creeper that he is in the late nineteenth-century.

While the characters are fairly stock, they're very well-executed, and Skinner Sweet has a ghastly charm that holds attention even as the reader understands that he has no redeeming qualities. Whatsoever. Truly.  Pearl shows promise, although she's given little room to be "new," and could develop into something wonderful if given half a chance. The story itself is likewise trite, but not so wooden that it wears thing, more like a familiar and comfortable sweater than a sodden mess, blending genres in a way that firmly grounds the story geographically and culturally, and leaning heavily on beautiful artwork to pull the book through.

Stephen King's introduction nearly ruins the experience before it begins.  He opens by saying, "Here's what vampires shouldn't be: pallid detectives who drink Bloody Marys and only work at night; lovelorn southern gentlemen; anorexic teenage girls; boy-toys with big dewy eyes. What should they be? Killers, honey. Stone killers who never get enough of that tasty Type-A. Bad boys, and girls. Hunters. In other words, Midnight America." In typical King fashion he thus demonstrates his blinder-version of genre and characters, asserting his "rightness" over the "wrongs" of other authors in a brazen display of ignorance. Clearly, King is not a fan of Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Interview With a Vampire, or ... one I haven't heard of. Nor will I say he should be - each have their targeted audience, and readers like King are not among them. What King here asserts is exactly what this books is - an assertive rewriting of an ageless figure against overly aggressive American archetypes. Essentially, King is arguing for a distinctly masculine American vampire - a violent and twisted creature that runs parallel with a culture of physical violence as old as our first war of Independence. Vampires begin as sexual creatures, which then evolves into romance - their true origins are as spectral figures raping dreamers and strangling children. In their Victorian hey-day they are feared for their sensuality and sexuality more than their physical violence; they are consumptive figures standing in for the tuberculosis that becomes an epidemic in the nineteenth-century, stealing away beautiful young women and supporting the romantic cult of mourning and death in Victorian England.  They are representatives of deviance and inversion - feared for social transgressions rather than outright slaughter. Historically, and personal taste aside, Edward Cullen's theft of Bella is more historically grounded than Skinner Sweet's murderous rampages.  But American horror generally doesn't go for subtlety, and the King I've read hasn't ever struck me as slow, creeping horror. For a good, junky, American punch in the gut, King's vampires will do; to suggest what vampires should and shouldn't be is to artificially limit a tradition that has gone on long before, and will thankfully outlast her abusers.

45.
Title: [Wytches]
Author: Scott Snyder, Joch, Hollingsworth, Robins
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 13 May 2016
Rating: *****

Pledged is pledged.

Scott Snyder's Wytches is a stunning and horrific graphic novel perfect for a Friday the 13th, or any day one is looking for a creep. Snyder slowly builds a narrative to come back full circle, drawing on pathos and looming shadows to engage readers as they follow Sailor, and the difficult times she's had. Sailor is an adored only child, and when she is involved in a traumatic incident her family decides to move, hoping a fresh start will give her the peace she needs to recover.  In a typical-but-still-enjoyable fashion the new house proves to be less of a fresh start than they believe, and Sailor soon comes face-to-face with a horror story much bigger than she, in which she is enmeshed by the actions of others. It's difficult to be much more clear without ruining the plot, which I certainly don't wish to do - the build and resolution are much better with a veil of uncertainty. I will say that the story is well-paced and fantastically executed, and the dark, sketchy artwork adds perfectly to the tension and the horror.  A sure hit for horror fans - I'll even agree with King on this one, as he says on the cover "It's fabulous. A triumph."


46.
Title: [Coffin Hill] Volume 1: Forest of the Night
Author: Caitlin Kittredge
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 13 May 2016
Rating: ***1/2

Moving back and forth through time in a series of exposes, Caitlin Kittredge's first volume of Coffin Hill tells the story of Eve Coffin, the youngest in a line of wealthy witches dating back to Salem. Notoriously selfish, and not balking at evil, Coffin women (Coffin Witches) unapologetically pursue black magic, and when Eve "rebels" she goes straight to the family tradition, leading to a catastrophe that builds for a decade.  Eve is a compelling protagonist, deeply flawed but essentially good, with a hand in both worlds that allows her to function in a series of supernatural conflicts. There is a strong suggestion that there is far more to the story than the first volume relates, establishing enjoyable tension and a drive to the second volume. The epilogue seemingly confuses its own genealogy, which is unfortunate, but Eve's narrative itself is compelling. Though less of a thrill than Snyder's Wytches, it's an enjoyable book with a well-paced narrative and attractive art.

4.
Title: [The Missionary]
Author: Sydney (Lady Mary) Owenson
Genre: Victorian Novel
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Independent Study
Date Completed: January 13, 2016
Rating: *

Early Gothic novels rely on a consistent series of tropes in order to relate horror and excitement in readers, without challenging their own identities or standard morals.  In order to protect the British sense of propriety, Gothic tales are most often set in foreign environments (allowing for the assertion that such nefariousness could never happen "here"), historically (to protect a sense of progress), and often draw on themes of religious extremity or superstition - evil monks, threatening monasteries, and the Devil himself.  Sydney Owenson's The Missionary pulls heavily on these traditions, placing a Portuguese Franciscan by the name of Hilarion in India in the seventeenth-century, where he seeks to save the poor pagans from their heretical beliefs. Ownenson's work is not intended as a Gothic, however, and where the later will draw on long descriptive passages to increase tension and enjoyable anxiety in the reader, Owenson saturates page after page with purple prose of the missionary's piety and divine dedication, preaching a perfection of soul and religious fervor which rankles the modern sense of imperialism, racism, and intolerance.  It is, in a word, abysmal.

Hilarion meets his match in the Brahmian prophetess and priestess Luxima, whose perfection in her own faith and culture is a match for the missionary's; as such, an Indian guide suggests to Hilarion that her conversion to Christianity will be the ultimate conquest, and through her the missionary may reach multitudes who otherwise placate the monk with polite smiles and nothing more.  Taking this advice, Hilarion engages in what I'll describe a series of tactical assaults on the young woman, challenging her not just philosophically, but directly violating the tenants of her religion by touching her and seeking her out in the place of her most intimate worship.  Luxima's challenges to Hilarion are the only passages I found engaging, as Owenson captures Luxima's own sense of certainty in the face of Christian assurances, allowing the "rude pagan" the same eloquence and superiority of her would-be converter.

Though I did not enjoy the novel, and would only recommend it to scholars interested in studying Orientalism and Victorian imperialism, I managed to tease a potential thread related to my own research, and potentially a final project - the fetishization of the priestess, most notably her hair and her veil.

5.
Title: [Through the Woods]
Author: Emily Carroll
Genre: Graphic
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 14, 2016
Rating: ****

I have extremely vivid memories of reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was eight years old.  I checked out the books from our school library, and devoured them.  I can trace much of who I am today to those books, as they inspired a love and fascination with the macabre and the frightening (and also a fear of the dark).  Like many, I'd wager, what has stuck with me through the years is less the narrative than the dripping India-ink illustrations made of nightmares and dark whispers.  Today, when I picked up Emily Carroll's Through the Woods I was brought back to that first viewing of Schwartz's ghost stories, and gleefully devoured the entire thing in one sitting.

This is not to say that Carroll's illustrations are the same - far from it, Carroll's art is more similar to the graphic genre in which she writes. But like Scary Stories, Through the Woods often relies on imagery which draws from a sense of Freudian uncanny- the familiar becoming unfamiliar, and thus horrific. The stories are beautifully executed and precisely constructed, and it was a sweet joy to read.

December 2015

68.
Title: [Waiting for Godot]
Author: Samuel Beckett
Genre: Theatre of the Absurd
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: December 3, 2015
Rating: *****

I love Waiting for Godot, and all of its wonderful potential and confusion and mess and dirt and philosophy. I love twisting and turning and trying on new ideas, and I love the discussions that come from my students.  This semester I taught Godot (briefly) through the framework of the "politics of waiting," asking my students to read this account of a production at San Quentin (pages 19-21), this great article on historically significant productions, and Rich Cluchey's interiew. We ended on a high note.

69.

Title: [Micah]

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: Ancient History

Date Completed: December 4, 2015

Rating: **1/2

Micah is a brief hiccup of a novel which barely accomplishes one thing - finally sharing the story of Micah's infection. It's fairly useless, and could have been much better shared in a longer narrative. It was literally over before I knew it - I went from saying, "I'm nearly done, so I'm just going to finish before bed" to "Oh, that's it" in about two breaths.  In the end, it's not such a bad thing, since I was only picking up a book to take a one-evening break from research and grading, and I easily got through the whole thing.  Onwards through the series; once I'm done with Anita I intend to read all of Discworld in order, which is something else I've never done.  

70.

Title: [The Stepford Wives]

Author: Ira Levin

Genre: Horror (Yes, I say horror) 

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: End-of-semester treat

Date Completed: December 15, 2015

Rating: *****

The plot of Ira Levin's suburban novel is so well known that its title has become lexicon - "Stepford" alludes to an eerie kind of perfection and conformity that implies a lack of personhood or deep thought.  This is precisely what Levin creates in his novel about a young family moving from the city to the suburbs, and finding that their previously-motivated female neighbors have all adopted the mien of a "housefrau" (Levin's word) over their earlier ambitions.  

Films do not do Levin's novel justice; the original narrative has a simple and concise elegance that the 2004 rendition, for example, has no hope of reaching.  It tries to do too much, give too many answers, be too progressive, when Levin did it all so much better.  There's not much more I can say without spoiling a few things, so I'll simply say that I highly recommend it.  

71.

Title: [The Harlequin]

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Genre: Disappointment

Medium: Hardback

Acquisition: Goodness knows when 

Date Completed: December 27, 2015

Rating: **

"I don't do women" said Sylvie.  Sylvie Baker.  The werewolf.  The lesbian werewolf.  The lesbian werewolf whose rape is registered as all the more horrific for her sexual identity, and whose lesbian partner is also recognized in the series.

After-the-fact, I remembered having a very big problem with this narrative slip the first time I read it, and it seems all the more careless and sophomoric in the rereading.  Laurell K. Hamilton is certainly not the first best-selling author to suffer from continuity errors, nor will she be the last. I have a difficult time accepting errors in defining characteristics, however, especially when the protagonist is herself so bigoted against said-characteristic (Anita is an admitted homophobe at this point in the series). 

It also occurred to me this time around that the narrative must be extraordinarily dull for anyone standing outside of Anita's inner dialogue; the action, exposition, and development all take place almost exclusively in Anita's head, or through mind-to-mind communication between a few characters.  From the outside it must look like a lot of mute posturing, staring off into space, and then sudden explosions of physical violence and/or Anita screaming.  

I've never minded the developing sex, and prefer an active Anita to her prudish early self, but at this point in the series I can understand why so many long-time fans gave up on her.  I won't, because I know better things are coming, but this mid-series lull isn't making it easy to carry through with my plan of reading everything in order, for once.  

72.

Title: [Rosemary's Baby]

Author: Ira Levin

Genre: Horror 

Medium: Hardback

Acquisition: End-of-semester treat

Date Completed: December 28, 2015

Rating: *****

Rosemary's Baby, written seven years before Stepford Wives, shows that Levin's claim to subtle horror is no accident, and his simplistic style and even pacing belie the potential for emotional impact.  Like many others, I came to Rosemary's Baby through the Mia Farrow film, so the conclusion was well known to me when I began the story; blissfully, I have forgotten nearly everything else, so I lose no pleasure in the reading. I envy those who are not familiar with the plots for their ability to approach Levin cold, taking what he has to say without the lens flare of Hollywood production.

At its core, Rosemary's Baby seems like a rehearsal for Stepford Wives, utilizing the same cultural politics as motivation for a resoundingly creepy tale.  Though relying on the supernatural instead of the mysterious ad potentially scientific, Rosemary's Baby carries the same flavor, and the same potential for alarm.  Levin wants his readers to question those they know best and trust most, which is where his true horror lies.  Again, highly recommend.  What a treat.  

An interesting tidbit:

Mr. Levin was less pleased, however, at the tide of popular Satanism his work appeared to unleash.

“I feel guilty that ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ led to ‘The Exorcist,’ ‘The Omen,’” he told The Los Angeles Times in 2002. “A whole generation has been exposed, has more belief in Satan. I don’t believe in Satan. And I feel that the strong fundamentalism we have would not be as strong if there hadn’t been so many of these books.”

“Of course,” Mr. Levin added, “I didn’t send back any of the royalty checks.”

-The New York Times

73.

Title: [Breed]

Author: Chase Novak

Genre: Horror 

Medium: Kindle

Acquisition: Conference colleague rec

Date Completed: December 30, 2015

Rating: ****

When a fellow panelist discovered I was the one who put together two panels on Monstrous Maternity, her first reaction was to suggest this book.  It's taken me a couple of years to get around to it, but boy, I'm glad I did.

The premise is a familiar (first-world?) problem: fertility.  Specifically, the narrative follows a high-powered, old-money New York couple as their struggle to produced the paternally-desired heir drives them to the extreme treatments offered by an Eastern European doctor, who happens to have an astounding success rate.  Their initial experiences are shady enough to be cringe-worthy, and the tone of the early chapters is wonderfully ominous, with strong pacing. Immediately after the treatments the couple begins behaving strangely, but they get what they paid for when they have twins (...) five months later.  The second half of the novel rediscovers the family ten years later, and explores the side effects of those strange fertility treatments.  

The critique of fertility treatments and genetic manipulation is heady stuff, and unabashedly critical; the relationships and cultural institutions that spur the narrative are complex and contentious, giving space for consideration to impetuses both big and small. That said Novak doesn't go to great lengths to drive home social messages, and I'd think the novel could well be enjoyed for the slow creep of a horror it is, without becoming beleaguered by politics. 

When I described the plot to my partner, a little more explicitly than here, since I didn't have to worry about spoilers, he responded, "You know why he wrote that book, right?  To have it made into a movie."  Perhaps - it'd make a really great flick.  But it's a pretty good read on its own, and one I'd recommend to readers of modern horror.  

74.

Title: [Pirates Past Noon]

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Genre: Early Chapter Book 

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: It's the 7-year-old's

Date Completed: December 9, 2015

Rating: 

First-Born was far more prepared for a trip to the dentist than I, so I borrowed his initiative and his chapter book during his cleaning. I don't know that I've ever read such an early chapter book before, and I think I'd like to try to get him into something with a little more thought, but it's a neat (and very very very brief) introduction to different places and times, and he likes them well enough.  

Fall Semester: Endless articles; 296 student essays (3-6 pages each) plus student classwork/prewriting  

41.
Title: [Daughters of Darkness]
Author: L.J. Smith
Pages: 240
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: May 20, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

A reread from my childhood, just for good fun.  I'm working on an abstract for an academic volume on werewolves, and was looking for a particular passage that first sparked my interest in the project.

42. 
Title: [The Smoky Corridor]
Author: Chris Grabenstein
Pages: 336
Genre: YA Mystery Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 22, 2013
Rating: ***1/2

Grabenstein's book caught my eye while the monsters and I were browsing the children's section at the library, and it proved to be good fun.  The protagonist is a middle-schooler who (along with his dog Zip) can see ghosts, who lead him to solve mysteries and save the day, with occasional help from his amazing and supportive stepmother. 

43. 
Title: [Citizen Vince]
Author: Jess Walter
Pages: 320
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 24, 2013
Rating: **1/2

A donut-making conman in witness protection, a hooker with a heart of gold, a mob hitman who happens to appear in a small town (leaving a trail of bodies in his wake), and an ex-felon's moral dilemma over which 1980s presidential candidate to vote for.  What's not to like?

Plenty, including the pace, the protagonist, and a parallel plot about an honest cop that does nothing to develop the story.   I'm sure that fans of the genre would be more interested than I, but for me it was a real flop.

I loved the rather strange excerpt included in Housekeeping versus The Dirt, but apparently Hornby's recommendations are not for me.

44. 
Title: [Ever After]
Author: Kim Harrison
Pages: 448
Genre: Urban fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-order
Date Completed: May 26, 2013
Rating: ***

It really says something about this book that I pre-ordered the book, started reading it, and managed to put it down for several months with no desire to go back. 

So why three stars?  When I finally did get around to finishing it I found the conclusion very satisfying. 

I've had a hard time with this series before, and Harrison at one point "won me back" when I happened to win an ARC that showed the first real progress and character development in the series.  Ever After, satisfying solution aside, is built on angst and vague descriptions of entirely magical fights that are just not engaging.  This book would be successful, in my opinion, if it ends up being the last of the series.  If it's not, it'll likely be the last that I read. 

7.
Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 332
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 18, 2012
Rating: **1/2

The weakest plot device of the first book, Anna Dressed in Blood, takes center stage in the sequel, Girl of Nightmares.  There is no greater believability in the second book, the tension is slow to build, and the narrative delves into one 1970s B-movie cliche after another.  That all being said, the conclusion to the action is highly satisfactory, making me glad I continued to read after all. 

74.
Title: [Deep Kiss of Winter]
Author: Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter
Pages: 436
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 11, 2012
Rating: **1/2

I've encountered both of these authors with varying success before, and as I approach a paper on paranormal romance I thought jumping into this pairing would be a good step back into the genre.  Both works, as this marketing scheme requires, are loosely related to a single idea used to bind the two stories together, with a bit of fan-girl-fawning over each other in the acknowledgements.  Cole's is certainly the stronger story, although neither is particularly captivating. Fans of either should stick with solo publications.  

75.
Title: [Anna Dressed in Blood]
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 12, 2012
Rating: ****

Anna Dressed in Blood is a true ghost story, of the kind that so often mark a horror enthusiast's early introduction to the genre.  This begins as the kind of story I would "sneak" out of the library and read under the covers, a la Scary Stories to Read in the Dark.  Cas is a ghost-hunter who, like his father, is dedicating his life to sending back murderous spirits.  He takes up the athame after his father ultimately lost who own battle with such a spirit, and with his witch mother travels the country, trying to keep the living safe from the dead.  As has to happen in YA novels, something is different about this ghost - Anna Dressed in Blood - and Cas finds himself with unlikely accomplices, despite his years of solo work. 

Blake wonderfully weaves in traditional ghost stories into this plot, giving audiences the hitchhiker and the haunted house that are so often abandoned after summer camps are a thing of the past.  Anna Dressed in Blood favorably reminds me of I Am Not a Serial Killer, and like the latter has what I'll call an "unnecessary element" that detracts from narrative.  Overall, the book is highly successful, and highly enjoyable. 

76.
Title: [Penelope]
Author: Rebecca Harrington
Pages: 120 read before giving up
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed:
Rating: **

I can understand why people would find this book entertaining, and even why people would like Penelope, the socially awkward and completely human Harvard freshman trying to find her way.  Personally, I found Penelope overly immature and dull, and found the social interactions even less interesting than when I myself was in college.  Penelope is not for me. 

77.
Title: [The Darkest Prison]
Author: Gena Showalter
Pages: ?  LT says 448, but there's no way
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2012
Rating: ***

Standard fare. 

78.
Title: [Amittyville Horrible]
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages:
Genre:
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2012
Rating: ****

When Armstrong concluded her Otherwood series with Thirteen she promised fans that this wouldn't be the last they'd see of the characters they'd come to love, and with the novella/short story "Amittyville Horrible" she keeps that promise.  This one follows Jamie, necromancer, as she's roped into another reality special - "for charity."  Like always, Armstrong is consistent with her characters, paces the stories well, and offers a twist I didn't expect.  "Amittyville Horrible" is a very fun read. 

79.
Title: [Delirium]
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 480
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Borrowed from the library
Date Completed: December 17, 2012
Rating: **

Love is identified as a fatal disease, a "cure" is found, and the US closes its borders as it pushes to eradicate human connection in pursuit of "happiness."  Yes, you've stumbled upon a YA dystopian.  And, of course, this means that a rebellion is brewing, and our perfectly plain and unassuming protagonist is in for dangerous romance, rebellion, and chaos. 

Delirium was listed by a colleague as being one of "the best" of the genre, and if this is true then I would have to identify the genre as one that is inherently weak.  The story is trite and the plot devices are shallow; that an author would actually say that love is a disease is sophomoric and uninteresting, overshadowing all that could be redeemable in the narrative. 

73.
Title: God Save the Queen
Author: Kate Locke
Pages: 
Genre: Steampunk-scifi-esque
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 5, 2012
Rating: ***

 God Save the Queen: a perhaps-antisocial young woman living in a supernaturally-drenched world discovers that things aren't what they seem, and neither is she (do I even need to mention the inevitable love interest of standard characteristics and loyalty?). While not wholly original, this formula is one I enjoy, and pursue knowingly.

 Kate Locke's God Save the Queen is a fun little romp that could have been so much more, if Locke wasn't so concerned with the current trend in the supernatural genres. As opposed to focusing on her own story and creative endeavors, she seeks to write against other popular stories, which only works as a disservice to her own book. It's all well and good to offer alternative mythologies, and (as I've said just recently), tastes will vary even among loyal genre-fans, but the drive to be-or-not-be can overshadow a text. After the anti-Twilight barb in her introduction (which itself unnecessarily defends her own mythology - probably because she fears the same kind of backlash Meyers faces), quotes such as this: "Now, they write romances and make foolish teen films about {vampires and werewolves}" not-so-subtlely allude to the same text. What this does, however, is not separate Locke from Meyers by adopting a popular criticism of the series, but rather illustrates her own ignorance of the tradition and evolution of the genre in which she is publishing by arguing against vampires and werewolves as romantic figures. Not only is Dracula (1897) romantic, but so are "Carmilla" (1872) and "Christabel," (1797) to name just three of many examples. I won't argue that in-depth knowledge of the genre is necessary to write successfully within that genre, but I will argue that one should conduct better research before publishing such barbs, in order not to be mocked herself.

 I will be reading the second in the series, with the hope that another book will bring greater confidence on the part of the narrative as its own creation.

57. 
Title: Thirteen
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 464
Genre: Supernatural
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: July 29, 2012
Rating: *****

Kelley Armstrong is one of the stronger urban fantasy authors I have had the pleasure to read.  Unlike some authors, who find themselves laden with too many characters and too little plot as a series continues, Armstrong has no difficulty picking and choosing protagonists for individual novels, and leaving others behind.  For this reason, the series never really becomes stale, and while I prefer certain character sets as a reader, I can appreciate Armstrong's efforts with the series as a whole.

Armstrong has said on Twitter that she always intended the Otherworld series to finish with thirteen books, and so presents Thirteen as the conclusion.  In this installment a great deal of resolution is offered, in largely satisfactory ways.  The conflicts are consistent with the rest of the series, and the characters remain consistent, so the development of the novel will likely appease longtime fans of the series.

As an added bonus, Armstrong revisits the beginning of the series in a prologue, and offers an epilogue for a nicely circular narrative.

I would likely rate this book as a single volume at a 4 or even a 4.5, but Armstrong is bumped to a five for consistency and strong management of the series as a whole.

25.
Title: A Perfect Blood
Author: Kim Harrison
Pages: 448 pages
Genre: I don't even know what they're calling this genre this day. I used to call it generically "Horror"
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: March 1, 2012
Rating: ****1/2

Once upon a time, I swore off this series; I was frustrated with the recycled plots and Rachel's inability to progress and cope. However, I received the last Hollows book as part of the early review program, and Harrison won me back with progress and resolution.

A Perfect Blood continues some of that progress and development, and while some of the angst and emotional turmoil is still there it is well-tempered by the actual plot.

What is most compelling about A Perfect Blood are the antagonists: their mindless hate and extremists efforts are frightening.

I'm learning to like the new Rachel, and learning to enjoy the series again.

59.
Author(s): Kelley Armstrong
Title: Spell Bound
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 325
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: July 26, 2011
Rating: ****

Spell Bound is the twelfth (of a planned thirteen) and latest of Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series, and once again features a growing Savannah Levine. Fresh off a case with a less-than-satisfactory conclusion, Savannah makes a rash wish that, when granted, causes her to reconsider all that she knows about her current life. Throw into the mix an underground supernatural political movement, general chaos, and as many characters as Armstrong could possibly fit into a single novel, and the result is Spell Bound.

The novel itself is not as strong as many others in the series, primarily because there are too many stories - and too many loose ends - that Armstrong is trying to weave together. As a whole, the book feels like what it actually is - the build-up for the "big finish" that Thirteen is promising to be. This installment will hold the interest of fans - and does provide some emotional development - but probably isn't for anyone who has been waning.

55.
Author(s): Dan Wells
Title: I Don't Want To Kill You
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 320
Genre: Horror
Acquisition:
Date Completed: July 17, 2011
Rating: *****

*May contain SPOILERS for EARLIER BOOKS*

I Don't Want to Kill You is the third in Wells' planned trilogy featuring teenage sociopath John Cleaver. After defeating two demons who have littered his small town with bodies, John decides to move from the defensive to the offensive, and uses one demon's contacts to invite a third - Nobody - to face him. This is where Mr. Monster ends, and I Don't Want to Kill You picks up with a cautious John watching for the first signs that Nobody has arrived. Ultimately, John faces enemies he never expects, gains support from an unlikely source, and faces a kind of loss that shakes his understanding of himself.

As a whole, I Don't Want to Kill You is a gripping and compelling episode in the John Cleaver trilogy, and proves to be a satisfying conclusion (if indeed it is the end...). Wells finds a much more comfortable balance with supernatural elements, leaving the narrative much less jarring and allowing for a more comfortable suspension of disbelief.

However (and these books always seem to come with a "however" for me), the character shift in the end once again rings of cheap pandering. To have such a dramatic shift in character at the conclusion of a series feels incredibly disingenuous, and leaves me with a feeling of great disappointment at the end of what would otherwise be a near-perfect conclusion.

24.
Author(s): Patricia Briggs
Title: River Marked
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 326
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: March 9, 2011
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Mercy Thompson defies convention from all sides: she's a female mechanic named Mercedes who specializes in VWs, she's a coyote walker who has run with werewolves her entire life, and despite her rather bohemian lifestyle, she has fallen for a straight-laced former-military Alpha. So, when she finally gets around to marrying Adam, it stands to reason that her wedding will break from expectations - hers, at least.

And then comes the honeymoon.

River Marked contains a great deal of self-discovery for Mercy, as she and Adam set out learning how to be married and mated. Although the fae's interference turns the honeymoon itself into a real nightmare, watching the bond between Adam and Mercy - and discovering secrets to Mercy's heritage - really adds depth to what would otherwise be a fairly common MT novel. I enjoyed the discovery as much as the action, and closed the book with a sense of deep satisfaction.

6.
Author(s): Shirley Jackson
Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 182
Genre: Classic Horror
Acquisition: Complimentary copy from work book club
Date Completed: January 12, 2011
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

My sympathy lies with Hill House.

To say that I did not enjoy The Haunting of Hill House would be inaccurate, but the further along I got in the narrative the more I was plagued with a sense that I shouldn’t like the narrative. It inspired a sense of unease and irritation that I couldn’t place, and yet still I found myself tripping along the pages.

And then it hit me: I loathed each and every character Jackson spit out.

The characters are vapid and soulless, and the conversations are highly contrived, like some painfully amateur drama composed by someone completely without talent in an attempt to be edgy and mod. Their existence is recycled; I’ve met each of them before, and I can’t image that I enjoyed their company the first time around. As I turned each page I yearned for the house to swallow them whole and spit out the yellow shirt and the red sweater and the “wicked” nailpolish. I wanted something terrible to happen not because I was hoping for a scary story, but rather because I hoped the story would save me from the four temporary residents.

I am exceptionally glad that I had an opportunity to read Jackson’s famous haunted house story, and I am really looking forward to hearing what other readers will have to say at tomorrow’s book club meeting. I wonder if anyone else found Eleanor to be just another Mary Katherine?

2.
Author(s): Dan Wells
Title: Mr. Monster
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 287
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Acquisition: Christmas Gift
Date Completed: January 4, 2011
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

John killed a man, but his mother is the only one who knows. Following the sudden disappearance of the Clayton Killer the community is trying to put itself back together, and John and his small broken family are trying to find a balance that will let them live in relative peace.

Two things work to disrupt that peace: Agent Forman of the FBI, who's still around ... and the appearance of the mutilated body of a young woman. Once again the town is terrorized by violence it can't understand, and John finds himself struggling with his intentions as he's drawn to the case by ever fiber of his being.

Mr. Monster is another fantastic thriller; readers are treated to further development of the character of John, the self-acknowledged teenage sociopath, and watch with anticipation as he struggles with the desires of Mr. Monster, and the rules that he has cluttering his mirror. While I felt like the concluding elements of the first novel were a bit of a cheap device to put a bow on the story, similar elements are utilized much more effectively in the current novel, nicely blending the fantastic and the realistic. Readers who enjoyed I am not a Serial Killer will very likely enjoy Mr. Monster.

100.
Author: Kim Harrison
Title: Pale Demon
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 439 pages
Genre: horror
Acquisition: Early Review Copy
Date Completed: December 29, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Action, progress, character development, and resolution; Kim Harrison's Pale Demon, due out on February 22 2011, has everything that Black Magic Sanction is lacking, and has redeemed the Hollows series for me. I found the last few books in the series to be stagnant; there was no development or resolution offered, and it seemed to me like Harrison was recycling the same plot and wringing it for all it was worth. However, Pale Demon delivers on the promises of the past couple books, and settles several things once and for all, while still leaving room for future progress.

I would not have purchased Pale Demon after previous disappointments, but I enjoyed it immensely, and feel quite satisfied with where Harrison is heading. Pale Demon is entertaining and satisfying, and proved to be a great comeback.

79.
Author: Patrick Kill
Title: Swan Lake
Publication: Ebook
Pages:
Genre: horror
Acquisition: reviewed by HugeHorrorFan
Date Completed: October 1, 2010
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Swan Lake is my first introduction to Patrick Kill, and to the materials available at the Horror Mall. I enjoy the subversive and the taboo, so HugeHorrorFan's review caught my interest. My first impression of Swan Lake was a comparison to Henry Miller's [Under the Roofs of Paris] or perhaps a work by the Marquis de Sade. While one could argue that the intent of the work is to provide a commentary on contemporary beauty, my own reading left me with the impression that Patrick Kill is using a shallow reference to contemporary criticism to provide a forum for exploring alternative sexuality. My personal preference would direct me to deSade or Henry Miller over another Patrick Kill, but I'm glad I gave it a try.

68.
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Title: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Publication: Kindle Edition
Pages: 384 pages
Genre: young adult, horror, vampires
Acquisition: Suggested by LT user elliepotten
Date Completed: August 23, 2010
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is a light and frothy young adult novel that follows the current trend of vampire romance. Ellie Potten compared the book to the Disney "Princess Diaries" films, and she calls it spot-on. What I enjoyed most about Fantaskey's take on the popular Cinderella variation is her portrayal of Jessica's emotions; Jessica reads like a typical teenager (albeit in a supernatural position), and her evolution throughout the book seems natural and believable. Lucius is not nearly as interesting as the protagonist. As the love interest, he fulfills all the requirements that readers will expect from the genre. However, I felt his epistolary endeavors to be less than sincere, and I felt that his letters flattened Lucius as a character, rather than developing the character for the audience. His inner monologue is shallow and contrived, and his use of "quotations" is more than a little ridiculous. Still, the book was good fun, and I'd probably seek out Fantaskey in the future.

63.
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Title: Waking the Witch
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 309 pages
Genre: Fiction, horror
Acquisition: Purchased August 6, 2010
Date Completed: August 8, 2010
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Armstrong had me until page 278. The novel that had the potential to be the most satisfying in a summer of genre-flops suffers from a rather unfortunate series of concluding twists. Prior to a rather jarring shift in the narrative, Waking the Witch is an entertaining look at Savannah Levine, all grown up and "on her own" as she tackles a case without supervision. The twists are numerous, and the mystery involved is enthralling ... right up to the Great Revelation. Still, fans of the series are likely to enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to the next one, which is apparently due out this November.

48.
Author: Dan Wells
Title: I am Not a Serial Killer
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 272 pages
Genre: Young Adult Horror
Acquisition: Recommended by drneutron on LibraryThing
Date Completed: June 13, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

John Wayne is a fifteen-year-old boy who lives with his single mother above the mortuary she owns with her twin sister. He's also a sociopath determined to prevent himself from becoming a serial killer, even as he explores his fascination with the phenomena. But when a series of violent murders occur in his previously quiet town, John finds himself drawn to the crimes, and realizes that he is the only one in town with the insight to stop the serial killer in their midst.

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a grisly and captivating narrative, and Wells adopts an interesting perspective to explore the darker side of human desire. I was a little disappointed with one aspect of the novel: I would have found the story more compelling if the narrative stayed focused on realism versus the fantastic. Still, I would recommend I am Not a Serial Killer to adults and teens who enjoy mysteries, the macabre, and perhaps a fascination with the scariest monsters that exist: serial killers.

45.
Author: Keri Arthur
Title: Embraced by Darkness
Publication: Kindle Edition
Pages: 384 pages
Genre: Horror/romance
Acquisition: Purchased June 4, 2010
Date Completed: June 8, 2010
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

It's about what you'd expect. I do have to say, it's kind of refreshing to read a "romance" that doesn't try to wrap the sex scenes in a fluffy padding of euphemisms. The plot may have been overly predictable, but the honesty alone makes Arthur's books worth reading.


46.
Author: Thomas Wright
Title: Built of Books
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 318 pages
Genre: Nonfiction/biography
Acquisition: Purchased February 18, 2010
Date Completed: June 10, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

There is no better way to get to know an author than by reading a biography of books. Thomas Wright's Built of Books presents Oscar Wilde's life in a series of reading lists that illuminate his personal and professional lives. Unlike other biographies, which focus on personal relationships (and, of course, Wilde's trial), Wright's treatment of the famous aesthete treats the author's internal life, and really brings to life the thoughts and ideas of the infamous poet/playwright. Thomas Wright's Oscar Wilde is a complete person, revealed in all his intellectual glory. I would highly recommend this biography to anyone with even a passing interest in Oscar Wilde.

47.
Author: Vicki Leon
Title: Working IX to V
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 301 pages
Genre: History
Acquisition: Purchased February 18, 2010
Date Completed: June 10, 2010
Rating: stars out of 5

I am not going to rate this book because I would be rating based on expectations as opposed to the actual content. I was disappointed that Leon favored quantity over quality; I was hoping to find more detailed information. However, that's not the book that Leon wanted to write.